The Israeli prime minister has decided against going to the US for a nuclear summit, which was to have involved the leaders of 47 nations.

Mr Netanyahu dropped out by announcing at a press conference that he wanted to highlight Israel's opposition to a nuclear Iran.

It is known in political circles that he also decided not to attend because some Muslim delegates were planning to raise the issue of Israel's assumed arsenal of hundreds of weapons.

Over the weekend, Jane's Defence Weekly, which deals with military information, estimated that the State of Israel has up to 300 nuclear warheads, with a power similar to that of Britain.

The article stated Tel Aviv was the sixth nation to acquire nuclear weapons in the 1950s.

While Israel never admitted to having atomic weapons, it is suspected Mr Netanyahu would rather have the nuclear spotlight directed solely at Iran during the US summit.

While Mr Netanyahu is not going, Israel will still attend the summit, with less senior delegates being told to keep the focus on the possibility of Iran's building a nuclear arsenal.

For a long time, Muslim countries have objected to being dictated to by Western forces on nuclear policy, while ignoring Israel's capabilities.